Purely decorative image appearing in an article on Photonics Industry Monthly entitled Swave Photonics Secures Series A Funding for 3D Holographic Display R&D

Swave Photonics Secures Series A Funding for 3D Holographic Display R&D

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Featured Companies Holography M&A

Swave Photonics, global experts in the design and development of chipsets for AI-powered reality-first spatial computing, has announced the completion of its €27M ($28.27M) Series A funding round. The investment will advance Swave’s Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) platform, enabling next-generation augmented reality (AR) applications for AI-powered smartglasses and heads-up displays.


New and Existing Investors Propel Funding Round

Purely decorative image appearing in an article on Photonics Industry Monthly entitled Swave Photonics Secures Series A Funding for 3D Holographic Display R&D
Swave’s HXR platform uses the world’s smallest pixel to steer light and create vivid, high-resolution 3D holographic images for next-generation AR devices. (Photo courtesy of Swave Photonics.)

The Series A funding round was co-led by imec.xpand and SFPIM Relaunch, with participation from new investors EIC Fund, IAG Capital Partners, and Murata Electronics North America, Inc. Existing investors, including Qbic Fund, PMV, imec, and Luminate, also contributed to the round. This funding builds on Swave’s €10M ($10.47M) seed round in 2023, which supported the launch of its HXR technology and the expansion of its photonics and semiconductor expertise.

“This round will accelerate Swave’s product introductions as we continue to solve the challenges of today’s AR experiences through true holography,” said Mike Noonen, Swave CEO. “We are thrilled with continued support from our existing investors and our new investors. They recognize that Swave uniquely brings together semiconductor, holographic and AI technologies in a way that will deliver cost-effective and truly useful solutions.”


Addressing AR Challenges with HXR Technology

Swave’s HXR platform leverages patented DynamicDepth technology to sculpt light into high-quality 3D holographic images. These holograms create a natural, reality-first experience where digital information seamlessly interacts with the user’s surroundings. Using the world’s smallest pixel, the HXR platform delivers high-resolution images that the human visual system can process naturally.

Existing AR devices face challenges such as high costs, bulky designs, significant power consumption, and visual discomfort caused by Vergence-Accommodation Conflict. Swave’s diffractive optics-based HXR technology addresses these issues, eliminating the need for expensive components such as waveguides or varifocal lenses while enabling compact, user-friendly devices. The platform adapts to the user’s surroundings in real time, offering an unparalleled viewing experience.

“With Swave’s seed funding, we successfully built our team, proved the capabilities of the technology, and completed prototype designs”, said Dmitri Choutov, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. “With Series A funding secured and silicon running at our partner fabs, we are on track to introduce product development kits and soon thereafter production devices.”


Swave’s Decade-Long Development Pays Off

Swave’s HXR platform builds on more than a decade of research and development and is protected by 60 core technology patents. The company announced its HXR platform in April 2024 and achieved the world’s first true-color holographic display later that year.

“AR glasses are set to become the primary interface for AI-powered spatial computing and other applications, and Swave is uniquely positioned to enable this future” said Theo Marescaux, Swave co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “We are co-designing every element—from our holographic SLMs with cutting-edge nano-pixels, to real-time compute chips, light engines, and AR combiners—delivering the most advanced and integrated solution yet.”


About Swave Photonics

Swave Photonics develops chipsets to deliver reality-first spatial computing powered by AI. The company’s Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) display technology sculpts lightwaves into natural, high-resolution images, enabling compact, scalable, and cost-effective solutions. Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from imec, Swave utilizes CMOS chip technology to accelerate commercialization.

This operation benefits from support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.

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Source: Swave Photonics


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